A Review Of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice 2024 a.k.a. "Why Doesn’t Wednesday Addams Believe Her Mother Can See Dead People?"
Why'd it have to come down to snake(worms)?
Astrid grew up with Lydia, so why would she think her mother is a fraud?
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Astrid grew up with Lydia, so why would she think her mother is a fraud? ☠️🪦
It took a few days to check Beetlejuice Beetlejuice 2024 out, but I'm glad I did it. I tend to be too much of a scardey cat to watch horror movies, but I've always had a soft spot for comedy horror films. All you need is a little laughter to cut the fear, and I'm good to go. I may struggle to see a panic attack movie like A Quiet Place: Day One, and I had to walk someone freaking out during a showing of 13 Ghosts once. I was happy to do that because I was just as scared as she was. Still, I love Beetlejuice, The Burbs, and Lisa Frankenstein. If you play the horror for laughs, then I'm happy to come along.
The original Beetlejuice came out in 1988. It was such a hit it spawned one of everything. A cartoon, toys theme park attractions, and rock and roll shows. Beetlejuice was everywhere. This character was beloved by kids and parents then became a one-of-a-kind phenomenon. For a few years anyway. At some point there was likely too much Beetlejuice and like all things other than Mickey Mouse, Beetlejuice went away.
Aren't cartoon Beetlejuice and little Lydia cute! Don't you want to eat'em up and spit them out because Beetlejuice tastes terrible.
That didn't stop people from showing their kids and their friends the first movie. That's how I ended up watching it. I was in a place where someone turned Beetlejuice on, I watched all of it and loved it. No matter how racist many think director Tim Burton might be (because everyone in most of his movies is white), he can direct the hell out of a supernatural horror comedy.
What is Beetlejuice Beetlejuice 2024 about?
In the 36 years since Beetlejuice, Lydia (Winona Ryder) has gone from partying with the Maitlands in her ghost house to hosting a show called Ghost House and using her psychic abilities to see dead people to become fabulously wealthy. She's accompanied and in a relationship with her manager/boyfriend Rory (Justin Theroux), and has a terrible relationship with her daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega aka Wednesday Addams).
Astrid thinks Lydia is a fraud and is stuck having to deal with the death of her father, Richard (Santiago Cabrero) without much help from her mother. Astrid says that Lydia has been too busy chasing ghosts to spend time with her family. Ouch. At least Lydia has her stepmother, Delia (Catherine O'Hara) to watch out for her which means giving all her soul to the passions of art. She started with sculptures but now she's gotten into Brazilians spray painting her body. Delia's birdwatching husband Charles (Jeffery Jones) dies from getting eaten by a shark while "traveling across the world to watch birds do it."
Didn't Jeffery Jones get in trouble for something?
Yes, he did! Jeff got in trouble for having child sexual abuse material and soliciting a 14-year-old to produce sexually explicit images. He is exactly the type of pedophile many people on the right warn everyone about running into. He’s a big crusty white pedophile.
In any case…
Back to Beetlejuice Beetlejuice 2024
Delia's husband gets eaten by a shark so not even his dead body can trigger anyone. Charles Deets is nothing more than a picture on a tombstone. Due to Charles's sudden death, Delia and Lydia decide to bury him at the old house from the first Beetlejuice. The ghosts of Adam and Barbara Maitland (Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis) have moved on to the “place beyond places” where classic actors are not allowed to make that sweet nostalgia money.
Being responsible parents and grandparents, Lydia and Delia stop by Astrid's school to pick her up and take her to her grandfather's funeral. Astrid doesn't want to go, but quickly realizes she’ll be in trouble with grandma if she doesn’t go. So off to the O.G. Beetlejuice house they go. For some unexplained reason, no one has taken apart the model upstairs which is filled with all that "trickster demon" energy.
That kicks off our little adventure with most of the original family and their kid heading to the house from the first Beetlejuice to bury the pedophile they show as little as possible. In Beetlejuice Beetlejuice 2024 we've also got Beetlejuice's ex-wife (Monica Belluci) stapling herself together and looking for her ex-husband. We have an undead police chief (Willem Dafoe) being handed coffee and swinging his gun around. We have this kid named Jeremy (Arthur Conti) who's trying to date Astrid. We also have Danny Devito because this movie really wants us to think it's amazing. And it is... for the most part.
Should I go see Beetlejuice Beetlejuice 2024
Everyone here is working a case. I don't know what case, but they're all doing work.
Yes! Well… it depends.
While everyone may not agree with me here, I think that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice 2024 should be watched after watching the first film. Beetlejuice is 36 years old but remains a worthy watch no matter how many years go by. The first film is a classic. This film doesn't hit that same mark but hits some different and fun ones along the way. Some people may not agree with me, but you have to ask yourself what would Beetlejuice want you to do?
So if you don't want to be bothered with the work of watching a classic, there is still a lot of joy to be had in this new iteration of Beetlejuice. It's still Michael Keaton. It's still Winona Ryder. It's still movie goddess Catherine O'Hara pulling out all of the weirdness she brought to Schitt's Creek. I laughed every time I saw the sculpture that held her down in the first movie. I'm glad all of them were available to dive into another Tim Burton project. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice 2024 might not be the classic the first Beetlejuice was, but it is worth your time. Check it out.
